Scene and Heard with Will McGuirk

Gigs This Week

The Legendary Horseshoe...
Fri May 1 C'Mon, Pride Tiger, 50watthead
Sat May 2 Great Bloomers, Sports The Band, Modern Boys Modern Girls
Sun May 3 The Thermals, Shaky Hands, Poin Juncture WA
Mon May 4 Rocketonic, Art Of Action
Tues May 5 Bella Clava, Boxes & Bags, Tin Star Orphans
Wed May 6 December Flood, Crack Puppy, Trapped Door, Northern Electric

the Montreal House (Peterborough)
Fri May 1 Phat Daddy Rock, End Of Silence
Sat May 2 Sebastian Grainger, Flash Lightnin'

Park Playhouse & Performing Arts Centre (Cobourg)
Tues May 5nd Cowboy Junkies, Tom Wilson and Trish Robb

Nothing Down In Hogtown....

Locally:

Friday The Under Exposed Monthly Showcase has moved to Le Skratch. Josh Smart, Dave & Maura Mapes and Jessie Houston are on deck. 2+2=5 art show opens at Isabellas Chocolate Cafe. Punch Drunk, Man With Target and The Fheds play the Atria.

Saturday at Isabellas at 1pm Alicia Robicheau hosts The Most Important Show Of The Day - Breakfast Food Drive. Drop of a donation or a contribution. Bandswarz continues at Groove Lounge, Cousin Harley, Catl and Crummy Stuff will bring their thrash-a-billy to Chicago's, The Stables, The Stellas, Trish Robb and Patrick Dorie plus DJ Lawless play Johnny Bs.

Sunday Sounds Of is at the Atria with Kites, Dan Brooks, Dan Greer and Heather Luckhart as host.

Tuesday New Rock at Johnny Bs features The Free Press and A Match For The Curious.

Durham Region - Enjoy The Silence

When planning a garden its important to leave some clear space, an empty area, not too big though, but enough to allow the eye to rest as it takes in the myriad sensations a garden in full bloom can provide. Something black in a room no matter the manner its decorated can provide the same relief.

Its what I imagine is behind the scarcity of summer events planned for Durham Region this year. There has to be a blank spot in order to appreciate what's on offer around us.

So what's on offer... well Exclaim magazine has its annual events guide available now. Its covers the country and in Ontario there are scores of options....it seems every town has something going on.... more than one in most cases.

Here's a list of some of those festivals should anyone in our catchment feel like spending money on music, art or other creative pursuits.

Rogers Spring Festival in Hamilton, Come Together Festival in Durham, Over The Top in Toronto, Orangeville Jazz and Blues Festival, Sarnia Artwalk, Barrie Jazz and Blues Festival, Waterfront Blues in TO, Skeleton Park Music Festival in Kingston, Burlington's Sound Of Music, Peterborough Festival Of Lights, Ottawa Jazz Festival, Tottenham Bluegrass Festival, Oakville Waterfront Festival, S.C.E.N.E Festival in ST. Catherines, Its Your Festival in Hamilton, Brockville Festival, Northern Lights Festival in Sudbury, Thunder Bay Bluesfest, Mariposa in Orillia, Sunfest in London, Westben Arts Festival in Campbellford, Sarnia Bayfest, Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest, Olympic Island Concert, Collingwood Music Festival, Windsor Bluesfest International, London Bluesfest International, Stewart Park Festival in Perth, Home County Folk Festival in London, Burlington Jazz and Blues Festival, Brampton Live (love that name LOL), Hillside Festival in Guelph, Huntsville Jazz Festival, Mill Race Festival of Traditional Folk Festival in Cambridge, Festival Of Friends in Hamilton, Goderich Celtic Roots Festival, Trout Forest Music Festival in Ear Falls, Fergus Scottish Festival, Downtown Oakville Jazz Festival, Live From The Rock Folk Festival in Red Rock, Rock Of Ages in Brampton, Havelock Country Jamboree, Summerfolk Music & Crafts Festival in Owen Sound, Lose Yer Shoes Folkadelic Festival in Kearny, Markham Jazz Fest, Fred Eaglesmith's Southern Picnic in Alymer, CKCU Ottawa Folk Festival, Waterloo Busker Carnival, Limestone City Blues Festival in Kingston, Eaglewood Folk Festival in Pefferlaw, Peterborough Folk Festival, Shelter Valley Folk Festival in Grafton, Guelph Jazz Festival, Southside Shuffle in Port Credit and the All Canadian Jazz Festival in Port Hope. All of this is just in Ontario. Check out the rest of the country...bloody heck!

So somewhere there has to be someplace with nothing going on right? Welcome to Durham Region... Enjoy The Silence could be the Tourism Department's slogan.

Oshawa Int. Festival schedule online

The website for the first annual Oshawa International Festival has a list of bands which are scheduled to perform. The event which goes July 11 and 12 at Lakeview Park has been hyped in the past as being based on the Edinburgh International Festival. In an odd twist it seems that Edinburgh's Festival is light on Scottish culture and Oshawa's is, uh, heavy in that direction. Is this just a curiously titled Highland Games?
At least personal security won't be an issue as many of the bands are of the Police Play Pipers variety.
Still its early days yet. There are two months to get all the details out and in a City that has such deep multicultural roots celebrated annually during Fiesta Week I'm quite sure the event will live up to its name even if Saturday's schedule is already complete. I guess all those not-so-Scottish will have to make do with Sunday's TBA schedule.

Saturday 8 am Gates Open
9 am Solo Piper Competition
10 am Vendors Open
 Ethnic Village Open
Heavy Events Start up
11am Solo Drummer Competitions
Carlsberg Beer Tent Opens
Pipers Beer Tent Opens
12 noon Drum Majors Competition
12:30 Opening Ceremonies
1:30 Grade 3, 4, 5 Pipe Band Competitions
1:30 Entertainment starts on World Stage
Entertainment starts in Carlsberg Beer Tent
3pm Grade 1 & 2 Pipe Band Competitions
5pm Massed Bands and awards Presentations
6 pm Beer Tent Piping & Drumming
7pm “Claidhmor” opens for Headliner
8pm Headliner (to be announced)
10pm Entertainment in Carlsberg Beer Tent

Thee Side Project leave the building

The Eureka moment!. I had it with Thee Side Project. Great band. Now however no more. But what a brilliant ride. Their obvious alt-Brit influences worn in patches on their sleeves - Cure, New Order, Echo & The Bunnymen - filtered through the new indie pop of the Canadian Shield - Wolf Parade, BSS. No BS with this band. They call it and then they say it and then they sing it. They say I had something to do with it all. They say JP FItzpatrick's FitzAllsorts introduced them to the rockingnest sounds of the D-Rock. Through Bandwarz and Shwaltzs, opening for the Mohawk Lodge at Chicago's, New Rock Nites and out and about in the seats and stands, standing up for the D-Rock.
I love Thee Side Project and what it begat.... Gay Fog, and Kites and Secondhand Lions and collaborations with The Recroom and an urbanity of spirit and the desire to make music work, to employ it for good. And who doesn't recall that night at the Atria when all those kats took the stage and banged out a call, a backed up call, our very own broken social scene had a glue to hold it together. Thee Side Project. If it was just for that one night I would say thank you to them.... but its not. Its for everytime they played and everytime they stayed to hang out.
They drop their debut record tonight...its all them, self recorded written played produced packaged and marketed. Take note of it.
Say goodbye tonight at Johnny Bs.
But say hello at JP Fitzpatricks FItzAllsorts.

Kites and Spades

Life has a way of getting in the way of having a good good time. So it goes. Friday shows at Johnny Bs and JPs were a hoot n and a holler. The Spades came down from Peterborough and rocked out the joint ahead of Grady who arrived from Texas. The Spades played a full set of road toughen rockers and stage shenanigans to prove that they were the opening act but not just the opening act. Lead James McKenty bobbleheaded and stiff legged slung his wiry body 'round the stage like a stork in cardiac arrest while Winchester and Chachi held down the rhythm like a couple of highschool buddies having a laff. Afterwards the lineup for autographs and merch was off the wall and later the rhythm section arms slung over shoulders slunk away to the bar like a smalltown beatdown version of Keif n Woody.
I slunk over to JPs to see Kites.... Lauren Heenan, Brandon Heenan, Jackie Game and Phil Hood. Good work from the kids who held down the whole night. The other two bands bailed it seems. Thee Side Project were on hand to give a hand and to hand over a copy of their debut disc. Their final show is this Tuesday at Johnny Bs. Pity as their tea drinking English influences would say. However we can look forward to their reinvention in a project maybe called SecondHand Lions. Maybe. Gay Fog and Ryan Robb Roy McGregor should open. As for Life...well I had a lot more planned for Sat. and Sun. as in stage building and street dancing but it all came to nought... Life it seems has a way of playing with mice and men and mousey men.

Dig The Spades at Johnny Bs tonight

Photo by Mike DeAngelis

Another great P'terboro band will grace our local stage tonight. James McKenty & The Spades will open for Grady at Johnny Bs. Grady is the latest vehicle for Gordie Johnson, once of Big Sugar. Mr Johnson has as many hats as Bowie. It seems each change in his musical direction pulls forth a new visual persona. Thin dark suits move onto stetsons and cowboy boots but the flash and the thrash of the guitar is still intact. Big Sugar were after loud and Grady is pushing metal into county tunes so expect big loud riff roaring storms of twang.  If thats your thang I would suggest to you Amer Diab whose 08 record Loan Shark Emergency Room was in my Top Ten for that year.
The Spades have been a fave of mine for some time. They are like Blue Rodeo's younger brothers. They have a few great summer gigs coming up with The Tragically Hip, Kathleen Edwards and the Arkells. They are strong in the Rockin Ronnie Hawkins tradition of rockabilly alt-country and just as I was writing this I got a message from James...

"Hey Will,
The band has been in recording our third album (I still call them albums).  Our producer has been Gord Sinclair (bassist in the Hip) in the past and he is once again at the helm on this one.  I wouldn't say the new tunes are a huge departure from straight up rock and roll but there is an evolution I think.   The three piece band really makes you work and we are always looking for new ways to present what we do.
The addition of a few instruments (theremin, Lap steel, organ bass pedals) have really helped us stretch out the sound a bit. There are certainly going to be moments that are a bit more atmospheric than what we have done in the past on our albums.   We are very happy with the results and are getting close to the mixing stage.  It is always a matter of how to do less but add some color when talking about three piece I find.
Our Massey Hall show (with Matt Good) went well.  What a great sounding room and it really did blow our minds thinking of the talent that has been on that stage.  I felt we really got in the mental head space up there and there were a lot of smiles, don't know that I will forget that.  I had never been in there, so to be on stage for the first visit to Massey was quite the view.
We have always been fans of The Hip and particularly what I'd call the more cinematic songs.  I don't think it is possible that what they have done hasn't rubbed off on us, just a great hard working band. Paul (Langois) and Gord (Sinclair) came out to our Toronto show last night and they (as well as the whole band) are just really down to earth and put things in perspective for a band at the stage we are at. They have been there and they have not forgot and it is these talks that really go a long way to making you feel good about what you are doing.
I hope we see you tonight in Whitby.  Last night was loud!
James"

The Burning Hell bring Baby home

With the birth of his new Baby Mathias Kom and his band of Burning Hell-ions, like many new parents, are re-evaluating their world. The new record which is actually the Baby we speak of contains these re-evaluations and its maybe only Mathias in the whole wide world, and the crispy Universe-y bits that hang off it, that could be so post-modern in the approach of making a record; Which came first, the Baby or the problems raising Baby that Baby sings off?
Its much the same with those songs on Baby... Mathias sings of what he knows and as every road worn warrior can attest to ( if given the right treatment ), being on the road becomes a life and that life fuels the songs.
The Burning Hell sing of being a band, of maybe even being a band called The Burning Hell. Its a self referential post modern trip that never allows one to forget that one is on a trip. Medium is the message etc.
Along for the trip is the many pieced skallywag orchestra that marches on its instruments to fill its stomach. The music flows from ska to calypso to cabaret to folk and below way below is the deep deeper deeper vox of Mathias at the lowest bottomest register... as in way below the below line.
The critic in me will say I like the previous album Birthday Party better...the fan in me says that don't mean a thing 'cos they both have that swing.
Saturday the many fingers and voices of The Burning Hell have a hometown show at the Montreal House in Peterborough.

Stimulus Package for Downtown

Got this flyer in NOW magazine.. its for Yonge/Dundas Sq in TO. Pity there is no one at our City Hall who could think along these lines....

Gigs This Week

Heads up on this one... gonna be a blast.... The Sadies join with John Doe of X for a rootin tootin hootin'anny at the Legendary Horseshoe.... 2 sets... Thurs Apr 30

Also at the 'Shoe...
Thurs Apr 23 Ladyhawk, Zeus, Nordic Nomadic
Fri Apr 24 Spiral Beach, Hey Ocean, Foxfire
Sat. Apr 25 Hanson Brothers, Potty Umbrella, The Pack AD
Mon. Apr 27 French Kicks, Sunriser
Tues Apr 28 Guests, Janes Party, Breaching Vista, Tree Streets
Wed Apr 29 Elvis Perkins & Dearland

the Montreal House (Peterborough)
Apr 24 Hawksley Workman, Burton Glasspool Overdrive
Apr 25 Burning Hell, Constrution + Destruction  

Park Playhouse & Performing Arts Centre (Cobourg)
Tues May 5nd Cowboy Junkies, Tom Wilson and Trish Robb

Nothing Down In Hogtown.... but for -
Sun Apr 26 Hamilton Trading Co. is at the Boat, Kevin Quain & The Mad Bastards (which features some Bairds when in town).
Wed. Apr 29 Evening Hymns is at the Drake Underground while Warped 45s continue their residency at the Cameron House.

Locally:
Friday The Spades open for Grady at Johnny Bs; Play On with the Baker Muck Rattlers play The Stag's Head; Kites play JP Fitzpatricks
Saturday Bandwarz kicks off at the Groove Lounge... the Nonchalants, Echo in Silence, One Divided, 130’s, Backhanded Compliment, Black Hole Symphony, the Kardiak Kids, and the Dystopian Theory; Tall Guy Short Guy and The Johnstones play Johnny Bs.
Sunday Sounds of Matinee continues at the Atria with Jessie Houston and Josh Kvasnak; Enter Ghost and The Advocate play Johnny Bs.
Tuesday Gay Fog, Thee Side Project, Ryan Roy play New Music Night at Johnny Bs
Wednesday Choclair, Famous, Blues Underdog, Oli and Peter Jackson play Johnny Bs.
Thursday AKON with Karl Wolf play the GM Centre.

CDN top Ten no. 4 and no. 5

NUMBER 4
Buck65 - Devil's Eyes/Devil's Eyes (Piano Version)

With Buck 65 (Richard Terfry) it's not so much a question of where to begin as where to end. He is a JUNO-winning hip hop artist from Halifax who quotes liberally from country and folk. He has collaborated with Feist, Matt Mays, Tanya Tagaq and K-Os. He was first signed to Sloan's Murderrecords label. At present he is a host DJ on the CBC and his songs appear in the TV show Trailer Park Boys. He stands alone, truly unique, a niche unto himself. As a rap artist, words are his medium but it's what he chooses to wrap his raps in that sets him apart. Hick hop is a term coined around him.

Devil's Eyes appears on the disc Secret House Against The World released in 2005. This song could sit in the orchestral pop aisle with Arcade Fire and the Dears. Its long list of guests would not be out of place in the liner notes of a Broken Social Scene album. It features Tara White (the Love Tara of Eric's Trip fame) on guest vocals on The Suffering Machine. There are strings to compete with Final Fantasy and Claire Beret provides additional vocals. Buck 65 has many wordier songs but none that ties up so much of where Canadian music is and has been. The album closes with a French version of the song featuring piano by Gonzales. You may know him as the fingers behind Feist and her remarkable work. The two tracks together represent what Canadian music represents to many in this first decade of the new millennium. Modern Canadian music respects the rootsy storytelling of the past but it is now built upon a much broader base of sounds, the sounds of the vast multicultural world so present on the wicked and weird streets of the Great Rainbow coloured North.

NUMBER FIVE
The Tragically Hip - Wheat Kings

Canada's band. They have something for everyone. Haikus and hockey. Nose-bleed guitar and acoustic quiverings, straight-to-the-groin rock 'n roll and oblique poetry. The published poet and the inheritors of Bachman hoser rawk. An unlikely assortment of characters as ever stepped up before a microphone. They are an old-school rock band that challenges the audience. They are generous, regular folk. They are glittering giddy stars of unprecedented presence with grace, too.

"You can't be fond of living in the past/ If you are then there's no way you're going to last." This could be the motto of the band, who push themselves forward in their career, occasionally leaving fans behind. It is a sentiment that echoes Neil Young's own creed. "It's easy to get buried in the past/ when you try to make a good thing last."

I waver between Wheat Kings and Bobcaygeon for this. But Wheat Kings lifts the veil where Bobcaygeon kisses through it. In 2009, the veil has been blown off.

Over campfire strumming, the poet tells a tale of the wrongfully-convicted David Milgaard in a manner Lightfoot would understand. The insightful line "No one's interested in something you didn't do" captures so much. There is a novel in that one line, a film. It's the hook upon which the whole tale swings. The song's breezy way is at odds with the horror of the story. This is real-life Gothic.

"Late-breaking story on the CBC/ a nation whispered we always knew he'd go free." The happy ending restores the population's faith in their acronyms.

On a different song, Gord Downie served notice he was here to debunk an American myth. Canadian myths are also subject to his scrutiny. Downie has become the keeper of the public's trust, exposing the flaws and the failures. At this time in this world, Wheat Kings resonates among all those who have lost due to the ineptness of bankers, executives, politicians and community leaders. The poet got it right. The band got it right. They capture in sound the beauty of the wind racing in waves over a field of dreams. They capture the randomness of that wind and of one human life. The randomness of all life, "twenty years for nothing" indeed!